Was she protesting, preying or praying?
A very large praying mantis showed up at a pro-democracy event in Rio Vista, Calif., on Labor Day.
The mantis sailed over my head, "like a bird on the wing," and then dropped to the ground, landing on rough gravel. It looked too heavy and clumsy to fly. But it did.
UC Davis alumnus and praying mantis expert Lohitashwa “Lohit” Garikipati, now a doctoral student at the Richard Glider Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History, identified the mantis as a female European mantis, Mantis religiosa. It belongs to the Mantidae family, the largest family of the order Mantodea. It's found throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as North America, where it was introduced.
"Religiosa can vary a lot in size, from 1 inch to almost 4 inches," Garikipati said. "Probably one of the many reasons why they’ve been so successful at invading lots of habitats in the U.S., to the detriment of some native species."
This one is a beauty, with her elongated green body and large compound eyes staring from her quizzical triangular head. This species has two matched black eyespots--identifying features--at the base of her legs.
Ever seen a female engage in sexual cannibalism?
Wikipedia relates:
- "Eating her mate provides the female with nutrients so she does not have to hunt. She has a prey item available that is bigger than the prey she would be able to catch in the manner she usually hunts."
- "The meal also usually takes place during or shortly after she was fertilised, giving her more resources for the faster production of a large ootheca with large eggs, thus increasing the chance of her offspring to survive. Males have also been known to be more attracted to heavier, well-nourished females for this reason."
